WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Your clients don’t just buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And story is the most effective way to communicate those values. Are you ready for us to help craft your story?

We’re artists and scientists

The science of story is rock-solid: stories designed the correct way are proven to excite the imagination, build trust, engage audiences, and spur commerce. Woden’s narrative architects are masters of the science of story, and combine it with the art of creativity to give brands messaging people can’t help but respond to.

WE BUILD YOUR BRAND

The right brand story is more than just a way to introduce yourself to the world: it provides your organization with a framework for growth. Woden’s clients position themselves in a way that inspires their audiences, and use every interaction to reinforce the core story of the organization and fuel the type of growth competitors envy.

StoryKernel™

At the core of every brand is the purpose that propels them forward. Woden partners with brands to articulate this through the StoryKernel — a research-driven document that codifies your brand story following the narrative arc of the Hero’s Journey. The StoryKernel is informed by extensive research, including customer and team interviews, and is designed to be the framework for all of your brand’s messaging going forward.

StoryGuide™

To reap the full benefit of a compelling brand story, it must be implemented consistently across an organization. Woden helps brands implement their StoryKernel by writing their unique StoryGuide — the literal book on a brand. StoryGuide exceeds 300 pages and covers everything from sales talking points to content marketing strategy. It is everything you need to become a story-driven business.

StorySeminar™

In the oral tradition, each person who heard a story would add their own perspective when retelling it. This collaborative approach to storytelling ensured that stories evolved into their best, most compelling form. Woden’s StorySeminar taps into this same power of group storytelling. In both our traveling series or in a custom session for your brand, Woden’s story architects will help you develop your story, and facilitate the group in refining it to the most engaging form.

“The mistake people make is thinking the story is just about marketing. No, the story is the strategy. If you make your story better you make the strategy better.”

Ben Horowitz, Investor

"These are all the things we felt about our brand, but could not put into words. It's amazing to see them all in one place."

Jessica Baumgardner, B+YND

"Tell me the facts and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”

Native American proverb

"Sometimes a well-crafted story can even transform a seemingly hopeless situation into an unexpected triumph.”

Peter Guber, Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment

"I've worked with several consultants in the past and have been consistently disappointed in their lack of true insight and helpful guidance. Your work is an entirely different story — and the results are already amazing."

Heather Krause, Datassist

"Your brand is a story, a set of emotions and expectations and a stand-in for how we think and feel about what you do.”

Seth Godin, author and entrepreneur

"I would recommend Woden to anyone — except my competitors!"

Jay Altman, Arenus

"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.”

Hannah Arendt, philosopher

Not Convinced?

Standing out amongst this deluge of content requires inspiring people to your cause — something only a well-told brand story can do.

Today’s methods of communication more closely resemble the oral tradition than any time in recorded history. In a world where everyone is an empowered content creator, every task in a business requires motivating others to advance your cause. Making them the hero of your brand story is the only proven way to do this. If your brand is working harder than ever telling people what it does, it’s time to step back and focus the story on why you do it.

Stories We've Had the Pleasure of Telling

Squadle

The complicated work of compliance in restaurant kitchens is difficult, but essential to food safety and quality. Solutions were entirely analog, until Squadle came along. They provide automated monitoring that increases transparency, consistency and helps franchise operators predict problems before they happen. Woden’s comprehensive Story Guide gave them the roadmap they needed to tell this story and scale their business to some of the world’s largest fast-casual dining brands.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Story Guide

“We now see how we should be talking about our business in a completely different way.”

Le Zhang, Founder & CEO

Ryver

Ryver is a powerful team communications platform that is free to use. The company had established itself by drawing comparisons to a competitor, but to achieve mass-market adoption, they needed to pivot toward messaging that could stand on its own. Woden not only developed this narrative, but illustrated how to integrate it into the entire business through StoryGuide.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

StoryGuide

“I am enjoying the StoryGuide very much. It’s very timely for me. Thanks for great work!”

Pat Sullivan, CEO and Founder

Bluecoat Gin

Celebrating 10 years in business. Expansion into several new state markets. An exclusive on-site sponsorship of the Democratic National Convention. The opening of their new distillery. Bluecoat American Dry Gin was on the precipice of their biggest growth phase ever, and they needed a partner who could fuel that while capturing the unique personality and charm that defines the independent spirit.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Amplify

Custom work: Democratic National Convention on-site activation

“I feel as though you really understand our voice.”

Andrew Auwerda, President

Poken

Poken has developed the market-leading event engagement platform. Their combination of hardware, software and advanced analytics has been benefitting Fortune 500 companies for years. They hired Woden to refine their narrative for the youth and sports market, and lead a reorientation toward the hundreds of opportunities that lay there.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Engage

Custom work: market segmentation, & buyer personas

“I can’t believe you guys worked through the holiday to get everything done!”

Steve Smith, Director of Business Development

Dorado Systems

Dorado Systems is dedicated to disrupting the healthcare EDI market. The firm needed a way to communicate its highly technical products in an engaging way, and establish emotional resonance beyond features and benefits. Woden has made Dorado more than just another electronic data servicer, resulting in more engagement and more actionable sales leads.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Amplify

Engage

Custom work: web copy, sales collateral, & trade shows

“I couldn’t do what you guys do if you paid me $1MM.”

Ed Kennedy, CEO

SoldierStrong

Being the upstart in a competitive market with a single, dominant player means a powerful message is all the more important. SoldierSocks, a nonprofit that outfits injured veterans with medical devices to help them live fuller lives, had an amazing story on its own. What it needed was to get that story in front of the right potential donors, and in a way that excited empathy to action.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Amplify

“I love the posting you’re doing on Facebook. Great work!”

Chris Meek, Founder

Freedom Mortgage

After nearly 25 years of experience as one of the nation’s top five mortgage lenders, Freedom Mortgage wanted to attack the small business lending market. It saw a natural synergy with its residential lending programs, but needed to create a new line that was as distinct as its audience. Freedom came to Woden to develop the narrative with a StoryKernel and the plan to Amplify that narrative, and Engage the best prospects.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Amplify

Engage

Custom work: sales collateral, web copy, print ads, & trade shows

“I’m a banker. You guys understand how to speak to and reach my customers — that’s why I lean on you for that advice.”

Robert Dwyer, Executive Vice President

Sotheby’s International Realty

A storied Sotheby’s franchise in New Jersey with a 60-year history dominated its market through traditional media. The founders of the firm knew it was time to move into the future and embrace content marketing as a discipline, so they engaged Woden to refine their message with a StoryKernel, and Amplify it to their prospects through great storytelling.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Amplify

Custom work: print planning and design

“This is everything I had hoped it would be.”

Judson Henderson, Managing Member

North Shore-LIJ Health System

Staten Island University Hospital, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, wanted to take health care beyond its four walls. To reduce admissions and help foster a more healthy community, the hospital wanted to develop a message that would resonate with Staten Islanders on how to live better and embrace preventative behaviors.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Amplify

Custom work: marketing analysis and plan

“Managing social accounts is a job in and if itself. Working with Woden allows us to focus on being directly responsive to the members of the community, while being confident our messaging is in good hands.”

John Demoleas, Vice President Development & External Affairs

Hubbell Inc.

CHANCE® Helical Piles preserve the foundations of a home and save homeowners thousands in insurance each year. Hubbell, the manufacturer of CHANCE, engaged Woden to reach those homes most likely to benefit from having these piles installed. Woden developed an innovative Engage campaign, supplemented with direct mail, using a custom online presence, floodsafe.me, to capture and nurture leads.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Engage

Custom work: direct mail

“I love Woden’s clean approach and great hooks in their writing.”

Meghanne Zimmerman, Marketing Specialist

Nooch

How does a startup stand out among a field of similar young companies? Nooch engaged Woden to survey the market of electronic payment providers and develop the messaging most likely to set it apart. Once that message was developed, Woden created and executed a plan of content creation and social media outreach to attract users and buzz to the Nooch mobile payments platform.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Amplify

“Solid work! I can’t believe we were able to increase Facebook likes so quickly!”

Cliff Canan, CEO and founder

Handcrafted Honey Bee

Handcrafted Honey Bee is a pioneer in the do-it-yourself home healthcare and beauty industry. High quality products won the company dedicated fans, but it needed to reach the millions of potential customers who had never heard of this segment. It engaged Woden to develop a message that would spread with virility in the DIY market, and to develop a plan to make sure it was known to all the key players in the space.

Services Provided

StoryKernel

Custom work: marketing plan

“We’ve been really happy with the collaborative process that has been developing between us. It’s a good combination of our vision and your keen insights. We’re looking forward to seeing where this takes us next!”

Stacia Guzzo, Founder

Let's Get to Work

With each step, the foundations we lay together are carefully considered and applied, ensuring that your tale is not just affecting and memorable but cohesive as well. This holistic approach yields a brand story that inspires your audience and transforms them from passive consumers to engaged evangelists of your story. Want to learn more? We freely publish a guide for you to begin using our methodology yourself. And if you’re ready to bring in a partner to help, we’re happy to set up a call.